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Michele C.

A week before they were deployed to Afghanistan, Kathleen and Drew Barton’s pet care plans fell through. The couple, who live in Mays Landing, NJ, spent that week frantically calling shelters, friends, and family in search of a temporary home for their two large dogs. Putting them in a kennel was too costly.

Fortunately, Kathleen looked online and found PACT: People, Animals, Companions, Together, a nonprofit that helps military personnel find foster homes for their pets while they are serving overseas. In less than a day, Buzz Miller, a retired lawyer who founded the nonprofit, located a foster home for the Bartons’ two dogs, Sasha and Vada.

“I was just blown away at the love and compassion they had for my animals,” says Kathleen, who would keep in touch with her dogs’ foster parents via letters and emails.

While overseas, Kathleen and Drew spent four months repairing air crafts. “They are risking their lives,” says Buzz Miller of PACT. “Now, they have one less thing to worry about. And they get regular updates about their dogs from their dogs’ foster parents.”

Since 2010, Miller has been running PACT out of his PA home. He and his wife have been rescuing cats and dogs for a number of years, and they even volunteer at local rescues. “I would often hear about military personnel giving up their dogs and cats when they were deployed,” he says. “I remember seeing these big burly guys sitting on the floors of the shelters crying their eyes out because they had to leave and had no alternative place for their pets. Most of these shelters were kill shelters.”

PACT doesn’t charge for their services. They do, however, ask pet owners to provide enough money for veterinarian care. PACT does not accept overly aggressive dogs, and expects all pets to be spayed or neutered.

“I am greatly impressed by the Military Foster Program created by PACT and PACT’s founder Buzz Miller,” says Brigadier General John L. Gronski, Deputy Adjutant General of the Pennsylvania National Guard. “The morale of our country’s troops, especially in war zones, is a necessary component to their well being. Many companion animals in this country are treated like family members. Without a close friend or relative to care for them, military personnel are often forced to relinquish their beloved pets to animal shelters, which can result in the animal being adopted or more likely euthanized due to overcrowding. PACT’s Military Foster Program enables our deployed soldiers the ability to have a loving foster home take care of their companion animal while they are serving our country.”

Michele C. Hollow is an award-winning journalist. She writes about pets, wildlife, interiors, and travel for Family Circle, New York Daily News, and DIYNetwork. She is the creator of the popular pet lifestyle blog Pet News and Views. You can see her other parade.com posts here.

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